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These are the top twelve rules I’ve come to live by – in and out of the kitchen. People have this idea that being a “foodie” is about eating a lot, or eating only caviar, or being a chef. The truth is, being a foodie means none of those things. Simply put, it’s about interest.

Taking an interest in food, cooking, ingredients and purveyors can be a hobby or simply a mission to better health. Once you start paying attention to how you feel or how something got to your plate, you’ll make decisions in an educated way. The foodie lifestyle doesn’t require me to eat only raw vegetables or crumble bacon on everything; I eat a plethora of ingredients that make me feel energized, healthy and strong, from salami to spirulina.

To quote Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project, “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.” Somedays you’ll have a bacon taste-off, most days you won’t. It’s about taking an interest in food in whatever capacity that looks like for you.

Here’s what I know:

1) Ingredients matter.

2) Savor the meal: community and ambiance are all part of the experience.

3) Order food the way you like it.

4) Chew with your mouth closed.

5) Eat good cheese.

6) Sometimes you just have to suck it up and use what’s in the fridge.

7) Be picky: eat the food you like, but you don’t have to eat all the food.

8) Use herbs: a dish will go from “eh” to “ohhh!” in seconds.

9) Try something new.

10) When cooking, clean as you go.

11) Have fun.

12) Get to know the staff: more times than not, you’ll end up with a 15-minute friend and a healthy pour of wine.

I hope these commandments guide you to a future full of culinary exploration.